Mexico
by wild-springflower
Summary: Mexico, David and Colby's distress word. How did that happen?


**Hey! This is just a random idea I got from an episode in season 5, I can't remember the episode at the moment, but they talk about David and Colby's distress word, Mexico. That just got me thinking, how did that happen? So, here's my idea! Oh, I must apologize for any grammar or spelling errors, I'm using my dad's laptop and I don't know exactly how to use it. Well, enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think! Oh! And I almost forgot! I need to thank my awesome friend RHHP Freak for all her help on this! It took me FOREVER to finish this, and she helped me and motivated me, and gave me some ideas. So yeah, thanks to you RHHP Freak! I love ya! **

Colby let out a sigh. It was the end of his second week with the Bureau and he was exhausted. It had been a busy couple of weeks.

He, Don, Megan and David, were in the middle of a tough case involving a man named Jose Sanchez. Now supposedly Jose was selling illegal car parts to young drivers. They had everything on him but good solid evidence. That was partly why he was so exhausted. He had been so busy trying to find evidence, or at least something, which would support the witnesses' statements. Statements, which kept changing every other day, and that wasn't exactly helping their case. So, if they really wanted to get this guy they'd need a confession, or a sail. That was the topic at hand at this very moment.

"Don," Agent David Sinclair was saying, "We need to get this guy before he sells anymore parts to racers. That could cause some serious problems."

Now, normally Sanchez stuck to selling to wealthy car owners, people who collected cars the way some collect seashells. But lately Jose had discovered he would make more money by selling to teenage racers. People involved in drag racing, street racing, stuff like that.

"I know," Don replied, "And I think I know how to get a sail from him. But it'll require some undercover work."

The room fell silent. No one particularly enjoyed undercover assignments. They were just hard to deal with, and more times than not, the cons outweighed the pros. So, to no one's surprise, not one single hand went into the air.

Colby looked at the agents in the room with him. Don was their leader, so he obviously wasn't going to do it; they needed him too much in the field. Megan was taking the day off, she'd come down with the flu over the weekend and really needed the break. David, well he could pull it off, but Colby had quickly learned that David liked to be out in the field with Don and a gun.

Hesitantly, Colby stuck his hand in the air, "I'll do it."

Don starred at him for a long moment, then shrugged. "I don't see why not. Go change into something more casual and we'll meet you back here in ten."

Exactly seven minutes later Colby re-entered the room wearing jeans, a baggy T-shirt, Tennis shoes, and a baseball cap.

David was the only one in the room at the moment.

"Where'd Don go?"

"He had to go get some men ready. SWAT, stuff like that." David replied. He hesitated a little, then continued, "You know you don't' have to do this right?"

Colby sat on a table next to David, "I know."

"You don't have to prove yourself just 'cause you're the new guy."

"David," Colby said smiling, "I'm not doing this to prove myself to anyone. I'm doing it 'cause I want to."

David sighed, "Alright. I just wanted to make sure. Don said that we should come up with a distress word, seeing as we're partners. Any ideas?" 

"Mexico."

David looked up at the new agent, question clear on his face. "What?"

Colby shrugged, "You said we needed a distress word. Mexico was the first thing that I thought of. At least it's not anything like shoe, or wall."

David laughed slightly, shaking his head. "Mexico it is. Now don't forget it.

At that moment Don strode back in the room, "You ready Colby?"

"Yep. So what's the scoop?"

"Sanchez owns and runs a little car shop just outside town." David answered. "There's only one other worker there, and he hardly ever shows up so he shouldn't be a problem."

"Cool," Colby said, "Well, let's get out there. We can't have him running off now. 

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A twenty-minute ride later found Colby slowly driving his Sudan into the small parking lot of Jose's car shop.

He was alone except for the two-way earphone he wore. With the headset Don and David could talk to Colby, and they could hear everything Colby, and anyone around him said.

"Slow and steady. Try not to appear too anxious." Don instructed.

"Anxious," Colby scoffed, "Who's anxious?"

Colby walked casually into the shop, pretending to be interested in the various car parts the lined the walls.

"Can I help you?" A man with a thick Spanish accent asked from somewhere behind a rack of mufflers.

"Are you Sanchez?" Colby asked, although he already knew the answer.

"That depends on who's asking. You ain't no Fed are ya?"

Colby shook his head, "Cop, fed, nothing of the sort. Just a curious buyer."

Sanchez whipped his oil slick hands on a towel that looked like in its early years had been some light shade of blue, but constant usage and age had turned it a dark, ugly shade of brown.

"What are ya looking for? Most likely I got it hiding somewhere in this mess."

"Well," Colby pretended to look around, as if to make sure no one else was there. "I am actually looking for an ultra-lock two-way."

Sanchez let out a sigh, "I'm sorry sir, but that particular item isn't distributed in the state so I can't help you there."

But Colby was persistent; they had to get this sail. "Are you sure? Word on the street is that you could hook me up." Colby let out a disappointed sigh, "I guess I can always go somewhere else."

"Wait!" Sanchez yelled as Colby turned to leave. "I might be able to help you out, follow me."

Colby stopped, turning back towards Sanchez. "Guess word on the street is correct." He said as he followed Sanchez into a room near the back of the store.

"Yeah, I guess so. Do you have a name boy?"

Colby shrugged as he browsed through the car parts spread throughout the room. "I go by quite a few different names."

"As do I. Which is why I need to know, how did you find out about me?"

"Like I said before, it's word on the street."

"Why don't you just make it easy on yourself and tell me, 'cause I won't let you leave until you do."

Colby turned around in alarm as he heard the sound of a door shutting. Sanchez was standing in from of the closed door, looking much more threatening than he had earlier.  
Colby gulped as Sanchez took a step forward. "Was it Jimmy?" He demanded. "Well?"

Colby faintly heard Don's voice in his ear, "Don't tell him any names!" 

"No, I don't know a name."

"Lies!" Jose screamed, throwing some car parts in Colby's direction. Colby ducked, and luckily the parts missed his head, but just barely.  
"Or Sam maybe. Was it? Was it Sam?"

Colby was at a loss for words. This was totally unexpected; he didn't really know what to do. "No, I mean, I don't know his name!" Colby dodged a flying wrench, landing hardly on his knees

"Oh come now," Sanchez came from the side and kicked Colby in the ribs. "You do not want to get on my bad side. Just tell me who it was and I'll let you go."

Colby fought the burning pain that was coming from his side and tried to run. But it wasn't long before a tin trashcan came flying at his back.

Colby groaned, spitting blood onto the almost black floors. But Sanchez didn't stop, he was on Colby in seconds, pinning him to the wall.

"Come on, tell me! I don't trust many people, but the ones I do had better be loyal. If someone leaked information I want to know a name!"

Sanchez moved his hands to Colby's throat, squeezing it. Colby fought to loosen the man's iron grip, but he couldn't get a hold on Sanchez's hands. So, with his last breath Colby mumbled one word, "Mexico," Praying David had heard.

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Both David and Don were sitting tensely in the van. Everything was going well so far, but it could turn south fast.

"That depends on who's asking." They heard a man with a thick Spanish accent say. It had to be Sanchez.

The two started a conversation, Don carefully listening to their every word. It was rolling smoothly until Sanchez said he couldn't help Colby with an ultra-lock two-way.

Don's breath caught, could they be wrong? And now what? Would Colby even know what to do? But of course the agent was all over the situation.

"Are you sure? Word on the street is you could sell me one of those." The disappointment was evident in Colby's voice, and Don was sure that if he didn't know this was all acting he would have believed the man. "Ah well, I guess I can go somewhere else. "

David let out a sigh, damn that kid was good.

Colby had most likely turned to leave when Sanchez yelled, "Wait!"

David grinned, "We got him."

"Not yet we don't. He needs to make a sail, otherwise we've hardly got anything on him. Although, I doubt it'll take too long, let's just hope things keep running smoothly." But run smoothly things did not. Don heard the sound of a door shutting, then Sanchez began to shout, demanding Colby give him the name of the man he'd received information from.

"Don't tell him any names!" Don warned. For a moment he thought Colby hadn't heard him, but he must have because he quickly replied, "No, I don't know a name!"

"Lies!" Sanchez screamed. But what happened after Don didn't know. The earphones were filled with static, as if someone was rubbing against it.

Once in a while they would hear metal clang, or an occasional cry of rage, but it was all one big jumbled mess of static.

"Colby? Colby!" David was shouting. "Don, we gotta go in there!"

Don bit his lip, they didn't really know what was happening, and they hadn't gotten a sail yet. "We need a sail."

"Isn't this enough?" David demanded.

"I don't know!"

The two stopped and listened intently as Sanchez's voice seeped through the ear piece. The static was gone and everything around them was crystal clear.

"Come on, tell me. I don't trust many people, but the ones that I do had better be loyal. If someone leaked information I want to know a name!"

Through the earphone they heard a cough, and what sounded like a strangled gasp, but Colby still remained silent. Then a single, barely audible word over all the noise crept through the earphones and into David's ear.

"Mexico."

It took David half a second to react. He was up and getting out of the van before Don even understood what was going on.

"David! David calm down and tell me what is going on!"

David stopped for a moment, wondering why Don wasn't reacting the way he should be. Then David remembered, in all the commotion trying to get Colby ready for his first undercover assignment, they have forgotten to tell Don what their distress word was. "Don, Mexico is the distress word! Colby needs help!"

Don was up and out of his seat in a matter of seconds, signaling the SWAT to movie in.

Don took point, David flanking his right side. SWAT broke to door open, moving out of the way to allow the other agents to run inside.

"FBI!" Don shouted, his gun up. But the room was empty, and his shout echoed off the walls, unheard.

Don lowered his gun, looking around. "Where are they?" David wondered aloud.

The two agents jumped as the sound of metal hitting the floor echoed from somewhere in the back of the shop.

They stalked to the back of warehouse where they were met by a door, which Don quickly and easily kicked it in.

The sight before him was quite shocking. Jose had Colby pinned to a wall, his meaty hands clasped the agents neck tightly. Colby's face was pale and his lips had turned a frightening shade of blue.

'_Not today' _Don thought, instinctively cocking his gun. He aimed carefully, fired, and the bullet connected with Jose's shoulder. Don had the satisfaction of knowing that that would hurt for a good long while.

Sanchez dropped the young agent, his hands reaching instead to his now bleeding shoulder.

Don ran over to Sanchez and shoved his face into the wall, cuffs already in hand.

The moment Colby had contacted the floor David was at his side. Colby drew in raged breaths of air, stopping to cough repeatedly.

"That's it, breath, calm down, and take deep breaths." David comforted, rubbing his hand on Colby's back. But when the coughing didn't stop he forced Colby to angel his head upward so he could take a look at that man's neck.

It was swollen, David could tell there was definitely something wrong with it.

"Don! Don he needs a medic!" David called.

"Already on the way." Don said, striding over to meet them. He knelt down next to the wounded agent, talking gently. "Colby, Colby help is on the way. I need you to just try and breathe easy for a while. M'k"

Colby nodded, still coughing. He took an uneven breath in, then let it out slowly.

"That's it, just wait here, it shouldn't be long now."

Colby nodded once more, falling back into David's open arms. "It hurts." He murmured, his voice hoarse.

"What does?" David questioned. "Your throat?"

Colby nodded in reply, not wanting to talk again.

"It'll be better soon." Don said, walking over. "You just gotta wait till to paramedics get here. Can you hang on that long buddy?"

Again Colby nodded, "I should be fine."

"Shh, don't talk, that'll make it worse." Don said in an older brotherly tone that he probably used with Charlie.

Colby had met Charlie a couple of times while working on the current case.

'_It would be nice to have an older brother like Don'_ Colby thought, _'Actually, it would be nice to have any siblings at all.' _

Colby took a layered breath in, causing another coughing fit to rack his body. He faintly heard Don telling him to relax and take a deep breath, but he couldn't.

David watched as Colby coughed, unable to get him to stop.

When the paramedics arrived they put Colby on a stretcher and wheeled him to the ambulance. He was gone before David could even mumble a soft goodbye.

"So, now what?"

Don sighed. Sanchez had been taken care of, Colby was going to be fine, there was really only one thing left to do. "Head to the hospital."

David nodded, "I'll meet you there."

Don opened the driver's side door to his SUV, sliding into the seat. Today had been close. He put the key in the ignition and slowly pulled out of the small, gravel, parking lot.

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Don pulled into the hospital parking lot behind David. He parked the SUV next to the small Sudan and got out.

"Hey." David said.

"Hey." Don replied.

The two agents walked into the building and found a receptionist.

"Colby Granger?" Don asked.

The young girl punched the name into a keyboard, "Are you family?" She wondered.

"No," David answered," Colleagues."

"Well he'd in room 238. Second floor, turn left out that elevator there." The girl pointed to a set of sliding doors at the end of the hall. "And it'll be on your right."

"Thanks." Don answered.

The girl smiled and nodded before getting back to her work.

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A soft nock on the door caused Colby to look up, a smile spread across his face when he saw who it was. "Hey."

David smiled back, "Hey."

"So, what's the analysis?" Don asked, pulling up a chair for himself and David.

"Oh, something attached to something else almost collapsed. But they fixed it." Colby's voice was still a bit hoarse, but compared to how it had sounded earlier, it was one hundred times better.

"Well good work man." David gave Colby a pat on the back. "We got Sanchez."

"But, he didn't sell to me. I thought we needed a sail."

Don smiled, "Well, considering the circumstances, this is gonna have to work. I mean, come on, he beat you up to try to find the name of the person who leaked information. If that's not enough I'm gonna punch someone."

Colby laughed, then coughed, then sighed. "I guess I'm not completely better yet."

"Guess not." David agreed.

"Are you allowed to leave tonight?"

"Um," Colby stopped and thought, "I think so. The doc just has to do a follow up, check and make sure everything is working, that kinda thing."

Don nodded, "How are you planning on getting home?"

Colby opened his mouth to reply, then shut it, realizing he had no answer. He then turned hopefully to David.

David sighed, as if taking the new agent home was a tiresome chore. "Yes, I will give you a ride."

Colby smiled, "Thank you."

Don also smiled, then stood. "I should be getting home. See you both tomorrow. Although, if you need some time off Colby, just ask."

"I should be fine."

"Alright then, bye."

"See ya." David and Colby said together, as Don left the room. Don's smiled widened, they were going to make a good team.

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David sighed. He couldn't believe this was happening. Another undercover assignment, oh the joy. 

Suddenly he felt someone hit him on the shoulder and he spun around, looking into the eyes of Colby, who was smiling broadly. "It's your turn," he said and winked.  
David sighed again, this day had just gotten even worse. Yeah, it was his turn. Not that it made him any happier. "Alright, I'll go and get changed."

"Hey," Colby yelled to David ten minutes later.

David turned, question on his face.

"I forgot to ask, do we have a distress word?"

"Yeah," David nodded, "Mexico."


End file.
